Prep Soccer: Hononegah loses to Elgin Larkin in sectional semis

HUNTLEY — The opportunities presented themselves to Hononegah, while the Indians trailed by two scores.

But Elgin Larkin prevented Hononegah from turning those chances into goals.

The Indians’ season ended following a 2-0 loss in the Huntley Sectional semifinal Wednesday.

“We got back and we were hungry enough to get back into this match,” Hononegah coach Vee Jevremovic said. “We should have taken more chances.

“We passed it, when we should have shot it and shot it when we should have passed it. We needed to make better decisions.”

The Royals scored their first goal in the fourth minute of the match. Eleven minutes later, Gonsalo Garcia netted Elgin Larkin’s second goal for a quick 2-0 lead.

“The first goal was just well struck,” Jevremovic said. “We didn’t step to it and we didn’t cut off angles like we should have.

“The next goal was just poor tackling. And Garcia is just a talented player for them. Those two mistakes caused us to panic.”

The Indians didn’t have very good possessions as a result of those early goals. But Hononegah pressured better in the second half, which allowed for more shots on goal opportunities.

“That pressure was a big part of us playing better,” Hononegah senior forward Andrew Eggers said. “We also were able to focus more on the back in the second half, too.

“They did a much better job.”

Both teams played through rainy and windy conditions throughout the game. The longer the match went, the harder it rained.

“These conditions didn’t help at all,” Eggers said. “This is probably the worst conditions we’ve played in all year.

“Even early on that first goal, the wind kind of took it.”

Two of Hononegah’s best chances to get within a goal of tying the match was after mid Harry Booth got close to chipping in a goal in the 44th minute. A free kick in the 65th minute also couldn’t be converted.

Hononegah finished the year with its first regional championship since 2006. Jevremovic said the Indians have a lot to look back on and be proud of.

“It’s about these kids having memories,” Jevremovic said. “And I think they have them.

“We won a tournament, took second in our own, ended the season 16-4-2, with three losses to some high-quality teams. One to Boylan on penalty kicks and one to Larkin and Springfield, which could be making a run to state in 2A.”

“We have a lot of great memories,” Eggers said. “We have nothing to hang our heads about.